An Oklahoma mother and stepfather have been arrested after authorities say they allowed their 11-year-old daughter to become pregnant and secretly give birth at home without any medical help.
Dustin Walker and Cherie Walker were taken into custody this week and charged with felony child neglect, according to Tulsa NBC affiliate KJRH. The victim is the oldest of six children who lived in the family’s Muskogee County home but have since been removed from the residence by child protective services.
Authorities say the girl, just 11 years old, delivered a “normal-sized infant” inside the home with no doctors, nurses, or emergency personnel present. Investigators believe the parents deliberately kept the child out of school and away from doctors for over a year to hide her pregnancy.
The shocking case has stunned the community. Neighbors told KJRH that the Walkers’ home was in “deplorable” condition and claimed it had been without running water for years, despite housing six children, multiple dogs, and cats. One neighbor said she made repeated calls to authorities about the children’s welfare, adding, “They robbed her of her childhood.”
However, the girl’s grandmother, identified only as Michelle, defended her daughter and son-in-law, insisting they didn’t know the 11-year-old was pregnant. “I just want people to know, we did not know this was happening. None of us,” she told the outlet.
Michelle also claimed the child told her the baby’s father was a 12-year-old boy she once babysat. “She keeps telling everybody that it was him. They got curious. That’s all I know,” Michelle said.
Muskogee County Assistant District Attorney Janet Hutson called the case “heartbreaking,” saying she doubts the family’s claims of ignorance given the size of the infant. “This child is traumatized. She’s been through a horrific ordeal,” Hutson said. “Not only has somebody gotten her pregnant, but she gave birth at home without medical assistance, and this will affect her for the rest of her life.”
Prosecutors expect additional charges once DNA paternity test results are returned, which could happen within the next two weeks.
Dustin and Cherie Walker remain in custody at the Muskogee County Jail on a $100,000 bond each.
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Author: thedailycrime1
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